PAC man exits stage left

Adam Philipson, 5-year manager of COC PAC, moving east

The managing director for the College of the Canyons Performing Arts Center is stepping down and moving back East, he announced this week.

Adam Philipson is leaving the helm of the Santa Clarita Valley’s largest performing arts venue after five years.

The 45-year-old cited a combination of two main factors in the move: a desire to move closer to family in New York, and what he calls an incredible career opportunity.

Philipson’s new position will be CEO of Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, N.J. The job’s responsibilities include oversight for programming, operations, outreach, fundraising and development for the theater.

“It’s a big step,” he said. “I think what I’ve been able to demonstrate here is that I can envision and execute a community vision where the arts are really intertwined,” Philipson said when asked to reflect on his accomplishments while at the PAC.

He mentioned the Santa Clarita Valley’s love of the arts and support from city and community groups as part of what made his vision a reality.

“There’s such as wide spectrum of ways in which the community embraces the arts,” he said.

The partnerships he’s forged have made him an asset to the community, said Ervin Washington of Lula Washington Dance Theatre, an international touring contemporary dance company.

Philipson fostered a relationship with the traveling dance troupe that has helped introduce a lot of Santa Clarita Valley students to the arts, Washington said.

“I know we’re going to miss him,” he said. “It’ll be hard to fill his shoes because he’s a great art leader.”

A timetable for finding Philipson’s replacement hasn’t been announced, according to a COC statement.

Within the next few days, the school is expected to name a temporary hire from within to oversee day-to-day operations until a full-time replacement is found.